Music for kicks

In the summer of 1997, Sunderland AFC had a bright idea. Though football teams had long been running out onto the pitch at the beginning of games to the sound of pop music, why not mark the first season at the club’s new home, the Stadium of Light, with something a little different? And so, as the Black Cats emerged from the tunnel for the first home match of the season, it was the sound of Prokofiev’s Dance of the Knights booming through the PA system that greeted them.

It worked a treat, as that first match saw Manchester City vanquished 3-1. Sunderland would come third that season before finishing top the following year and gaining promotion to the Premier League. The choice of music also made its mark outside the ground – when Prokofiev’s ballet toured the area in 1998, members of the audience were seen to be wearing red-and-white stripes (and Sunderland